In the South China Sea 88 kilometer from Aparri, The Philippines, a significant MAG-5.3 earthquake occurred in the early morning of Thursday May 14th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South China Sea, 30 kilometers (18 mi) off the coast of The Philippines, 88 kilometer northwest of Aparri in Cagayan Valley. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 35 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | May 14, 2026 06:01AM (Manila Time) - May 13, 2026 22:01 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 88 km NW of Aparri, Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. Coordinates 19°3'57"N 121°16'31"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 22 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.066 . |
| Depth: | 35 km (22 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in The Philippines . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Aparri in Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. Aparri is located 88 kilometer (55 mi) northwest of the epicenter.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Laoag is located 120 km to the southwest. Tuguegarao is located 168 km to the south. Santiago is located 266 km to the south.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 88 km (55 mi) SE from epicenter |
Aparri Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 120 km (75 mi) SW from epicenter |
Laoag Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 122 km (76 mi) SW from epicenter |
San Nicolas Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 135 km (84 mi) SW from epicenter |
Batac City Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 163 km (101 mi) S from epicenter |
Solana Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 168 km (104 mi) S from epicenter |
Tuguegarao Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 178 km (111 mi) S from epicenter |
Tabuk Cordillera, The Philippines. |
| 189 km (117 mi) S from epicenter |
Cabagan Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 190 km (118 mi) SW from epicenter |
Vigan Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 220 km (137 mi) S from epicenter |
Roxas Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 223 km (139 mi) S from epicenter |
Ilagan Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 245 km (152 mi) S from epicenter |
San Mateo Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 250 km (155 mi) S from epicenter |
Mankayan Cordillera, The Philippines. |
| 251 km (156 mi) S from epicenter |
Santa Maria Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 253 km (157 mi) S from epicenter |
Tagudin Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 255 km (158 mi) S from epicenter |
Ramon Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 258 km (160 mi) S from epicenter |
Alicia Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 260 km (162 mi) S from epicenter |
Diadi Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 266 km (165 mi) S from epicenter |
Santiago Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 283 km (176 mi) S from epicenter |
Solano Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 285 km (177 mi) S from epicenter |
Baggabag B Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 288 km (179 mi) S from epicenter |
Bayombong Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 291 km (181 mi) S from epicenter |
San Fernando Ilocos, The Philippines. |
| 298 km (185 mi) S from epicenter |
Bambang Cagayan Valley, The Philippines. |
| 299 km (186 mi) S from epicenter |
La Trinidad Cordillera, The Philippines. |
| 299 km (186 mi) S from epicenter |
Bauang Ilocos, The Philippines. |
Shaking reported by 2 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 people have reported shaking in 2 places in Philippines.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Claveria, Cagayan Valley, Philippines: 1 person.
- Cebu, Central Visayas, Philippines: 1 person.
2 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 2 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 4.6 magnitude earthquake hit 9 mins later 7 km (5 mi) southwest of this earthquake.
Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. Roughly 7 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.5 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.5 |
7 hrs earlier May 13, 2026 11:09PM (Manila Time) | 57 km (35 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
May 14, 2026 06:01AM (Manila Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
9 mins later May 14, 2026 06:10AM (Manila Time) | 7 km (5 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
1 hr later May 14, 2026 07:03AM (Manila Time) | 5 km (3 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since February 11th, 2026, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 193 km (120 mi) further northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7 earthquake struck on July 27th, 2022.
In total, 43 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 3 months.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 35 km (22 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 14/05/26 12:28 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000sxk1
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260513_0000375
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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